Apium nodiflorum synonym Helosciadium nodiflorum, commonly known as fool’s-water-cress, is a flowering plant of the genus Apium and Apiaceae ⁄ Umbelliferae (Carrot family) found in ditches or streams of Western Europe. Its duration is perennial which means it will grow year after year. The plant is considered to be native of Western Europe and is found throughout the North Island and the north and west of the South Island of New Zealand. Apart from Fool’s water cress it is also known as European marshwort, Fool’s-water-cress, Wild celery, Lebanese Cress, Poor Man’s Watercress and Procumbent Marshwort. Apium is derived from the Latin Apis, for “bee”, nodiflorum means “flowering at the nodes”. Fool’s-watercress is not a poisonous plant, but it could be confused with the poisonous Lesser Water Parsnip – Berula erecta – which is poisonous. The main distinguishing feature is that Berula erecta has a distinct ring on the leaf stalk; however caution recommends that a tasting would be better avoided. Lesser Water Parsnip also smells quite like parsnip when the leaves are crushed thus being given its common name.

Plant Description

European Marshwort is actually a low-growing or prostrate perennial, flowering plant that grows about 30 cm to 1 meter tall. The plant is found growing in wetland habitats such as the margins of rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, canals and ditches as well as in marshy grassland and anthropogenic habitats such as gravel pits. The plant prefers nutrient-rich, neutral soils as well as margins of the river, lakes and ponds. The plant has prostrate and ascending stems. They are smooth, round, hollow and finely furrowed. Leaves are glossy; bright green about 70 cm long with 2 to 8 pairs of toothed stalk less oval to lance-shaped leaflets. Individual flowers are small (2 to 2 mm) with five white petals, and occur in short stalked clusters/umbels (2 to 4 cm) in diameter. Flowering takes place from July and August. Flowers are followed by fruit that are dark brown, small about 2 mm long and ovoid/egg shaped and ribbed.

History

This species has perhaps been consumed since antiquity, though it is difficult to find any clear references to it. For instance, some of the ancient mentions of the celery, a closely related species might be attributed to A. nodiflorum. This could be the case of some references found in Theophrastus or Dioscorides. In the sixteenth-century Spanish translation of the later work, Laguna, in the chapter of the watercress, describes another similar species supposed to be toxic and with the Castilian name of berrazas, the same registered in the recent ethno botanical works.

Its tender aerial parts are considered digestive, intestinal anti-inflammatory, depurative, and employed to treat respiratory and urinary diseases.

Other supposed health benefits of A. nodiflorum include liver protection and bile production.

Decoction of the whole plant was topically employed to treat eczema in southern Spain.

Culinary Uses

This species has been traditionally consumed in the Mediterranean countries, at least in Portugal, Spain.

As other wild vegetables that grow in aquatic environments, A. nodiflorum is mainly consumed raw without any preparation or in green salads.

It is also cooked in different recipes, such as boiled with legumes, in omelets, as a turnover filling, as a dough stuffing, or included in the Moroccan beqoul, a mixture of several wild food plants used to prepare a springtime meatless dish—highly prized by rural people, especially in mountainous areas.

The fool’s watercress is also employed as a condiment to aromatize soups or other stews.

It can also be used to enhance the flour of spinach or other wilted greens.

As this plant grows in waterways, it must be cooked to remove the risk from waterborne parasites, such as liver fluke.

Other facts

Fresh aerial parts were used as animal feed for pigs and partridges and in ethno-veterinary science.

European marshwort Scientific Classification

Scientific Name: Apium nodiflorum (L.) Lag

Rank

Scientific Name & (Common Name)

Kingdom

Plantae (Plants)

Subkingdom

Tracheobionta (Vascular plants)

Infrakingdom

Streptophyta (land plants)

Superdivision

Spermatophyta (Seed plants)

Division

Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)

Subdivision

Spermatophytina (spermatophytes, seed plants, phanérogames)

Class

Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)

Subclass

Rosidae

Superorder

Asteranae

Order

Apiales

Family

Apiaceae ⁄ Umbelliferae (Carrot family)

Genus

Apium L. (celery)

Species

Apium nodiflorum (L.) Lag. (European marshwort)

Synonyms

Apium nodiflorum var. vulgare H. Wolff

Helodium nodiflorum (L.) Dumort

Helosciadium hybridum Mérat ex F.W.Schultz

Helosciadium intermedium Ten. ex Nyman

Helosciadium nodiflorum (L.) Koch

Helosciadium nodiflorum var. ochreatum Bab

Helosciadium nodiflorum f. purpurascens Maire

Helosciadium nodiflorum var. radiatum (Viv.) Coss

Helosciadium nodiflorum var. repentiforme Rouy & E.G.Camus

Helosciadium stoloniferum Nyman

Lavera nodiflora (L.) Raf

Meum nodiflorum (L.) Baill

Pimpinella nodiflora (L.) Stokes

Selinum nodiflorum (L.) E.H.L.Krause

Seseli nodiflorum (L.) Scop

Sison nodiflorum (L.) Brot

Sium intermedium Ten

Sium nodiflorum L

Sium radiatum Viv

Sium stoloniferum Guss

Tordylium cyrenaicum Spreng

Nutritional value of European marshwort

Serving Size: 100 g

Calories 21 K cal.Calories from Fat 3.78 K cal.

Proximity

Amount

% DV

Water

92 g

N/D

Energy

21 Kcal

N/D

Protein

1.6 g

3.20%

Total Fat (lipid)

0.42 g

1.20%

Ash

1.7 g

N/D

Carbohydrate

1.2 g

0.92%

Total dietary Fiber

2.7 g

7.11%

Minerals

Amount

% DV

Calcium, Ca

152 mg

15.20%

Iron, Fe

1.8 mg

22.50%

Magnesium, Mg

28 mg

6.67%

Potassium, K

165 mg

3.51%

Sodium, Na

244 mg

16.27%

Zinc, Zn

0.5 mg

4.55%

Copper, Cu

0.08 mg

8.89%

Manganese, Mn

0.29 mg

12.61%

Vitamins

Amount

% DV

Water soluble Vitamins

Vitamin B9 (Folate)

125 µg

31.25%

Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)

9.11 mg

10.12%

Vitamin C (Dehydroascorbic acid)

15 mg

N/D

Fat soluble Vitamins

Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)

2.59 mg

17.27%

Tocopherol, beta

0.25 mg

N/D

Tocopherol, gamma

0.21 mg

N/D

Organic acids

Amount

% DV

Oxalic acid

534 mg

N/D

Malic acid

72.7 mg

N/D

Citric acid

28 mg

N/D

Fumaric acid

1.37 mg

N/D

Phenolics (total)

80.5 mg

N/D

Flavonoids

45.5 mg

N/D

Lipids

Amount

% DV

Fatty acids, total saturated

23.6 g

N/D

Myristic acid 14:00(Tetradecanoic acid)

0.69 g

N/D

Palmitic acid 16:00 (Hexadecanoic acid)

16.3 g

N/D

Stearic acid 18:00 (Octadecanoic acid)

1.77 g

N/D

Arachidic acid 20:00 (Eicosanoic acid)

0.34 g

N/D

Behenic acid (docosanoic acid) 22:00

1.22 g

N/D

Lignoceric acid (tetracosanoic acid) 24:00

2.07 g

N/D

Fatty acids, total monounsaturated

4.7 g

N/D

Palmitoleic acid 16:1 (hexadecenoic acid)

1.1 g

N/D

Oleic acid 18:1 (octadecenoic acid)

3.33 g

N/D

Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated

71.7 g

N/D

Linoleic acid 18:2 (octadecadienoic acid)

24.6 g

N/D

Linolenic acid 18:3 (Octadecatrienoic acid)

43.5 g

N/D

n − 3

45.8 g

N/D

n − 6

25.9 g

N/D

n − 9

4.7 g

N/D

*Above mentioned Percent Daily Values (%DVs) are based on 2,000 calorie diet intake. Daily values (DVs) may be different depending upon your daily calorie needs. Mentioned values are recommended by a U.S. Department of Agriculture. They are not healthbenefitstimes.com recommendations. Calculations are based on average age of 19 to 50 years and weighs 194 lbs.